Pakistan opens third border crossing with Afghanistan, says it will facilitate trade

Islamabad: Pakistan has reopened another border with Afghanistan that was closed in February after a series of attacks from across the border killed over 100 people, the Foreign Ministry announced.

The Torkham border between Pakistan and Afghanistan was opened earlier. Reuters file image

"The decision reflects Pakistan's continued efforts for facilitating Afghan transit and trade. This is not a pedestrian crossing, but is meant for facilitation of trade and transit vehicles," The Nation daily quoted the ministry as saying on Saturday.

Two major crossings — Torkham and Chaman — were already opened earlier.

Government sources said the decision to open the Kharlachi crossing for trade was part of the confidence-building measures of Islamabad to make Afghanistan realise that Pakistan wanted to see stability in the country.

During a meeting with Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the SCO summit last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had reiterated his commitment to support the Kabul government in bringing peace to the country, reported The Nation.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a roughly 2,500 km-long border, which runs through a mountainous terrain and remains largely unmanned.

In February, Pakistan completely sealed the border crossing with Kabul for over a month after the attacks.